Friday, July 1, 2011

Islamic Teachings for a living a Green Deen

Tawhid (Oneness)

Living a Green Deen means understanding that everything comes from Allah. We recognize that Allah is the Creator of everything. Allah says in the Qur’an: “He is the First and the Last, the Evident and the Hidden: and He has full knowledge of all things.” (57:3) If you look at the smallest particle using the most powerful magnification, you see the building blocks of atoms: protons, neutrons, and electrons. They look like small flashes of light. Now, if you turn your gaze into the furthest reaches of the universe, you see the most distant objects - quasars. They too look like small flashes of light. This light is an expression of the Oneness of Allah. The universe is aglow with continuity.

Ayat (Sign)

Living a Green Deen means seeing everything in the natural world as a sign from our Creator. “Signs for those who reflect” is a constant refrain in the Qur’an. Signs from the Creator are all around us. To treat the natural world poorly means to deny the signs of our Creator. In Arabic, ayat can refer to one of the 6236 verses of the Qur’an, or ayat can mean the signs around us – the mountains, the trees, the seas. When we stand on a mountaintop, or at the edge of a great sea, or watch a glorious sunrise, we are immersed in the amazement of the signs Allah has spread out before us – these experiences can lead us into a state of awe. Our awe is a sense that we are part of the amazing beauty of those signs.

Khalifah (Steward)

Living a Green Deen means understanding that God created us directly from the Earth and that we must do all that we can to take care of it, protect it, and manage all of its bounty in a sustainable way. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), declared, “The world is beautiful and verdant, and verily Allah, be He exalted, has made you His stewards in it, as He sees how you acquit yourselves." When we die, we will be resurrected in both body and spirit and will be held to account for all that we’ve done for ourselves, others, and the planet.

Amana (Trust)

Living a Green Deen means knowing that we are entrusted by God to act as stewards, or “Khalifas” of the Earth. God has given us the ability to make decisions over the land and the animals, and He trusts us to be responsible with this gift. We can choose to cooperate with nature -- or not. Either way, we will be held accountable for our actions. Some have taken the solemn trust with God to mean that we can do whatever we want without consequence. Islam teaches otherwise. Islam teaches that the Earth is sacred. Our trust from God is not a license to pillage and destroy or to take from others, be they animals, plants, the ground or the sky, without a just return. Our mandate from God dictates that we must praise the Creator, take care of the planet, and take care of one another.

Adl (Justice)

Living a Green Deen means treating the world with justice. The first step is to recognize that humans can have a negative impact on the Earth. The second step is to reduce and stop that negative impact. “Corruption has appeared on the land and in the sea because of what the hands of humans have wrought. This is in order that we give them a taste of the consequences of their misdeeds that perhaps they will turn to the path of right guidance.” (30:41) American born Muslim scholar, Imam Zaid Shakir observes of this verse, “The earliest commentators on the Qur’an have described this corruption as the drying up of the rains, the disappearance of the harvest of the sea, and other ecologically relevant meanings.” By moving towards a just economy and a just way of life, we move away from the wanton exploitation of land and people, and turn instead towards a way of life that affirms the abundance in creation.

Mizan (Balance)

Living a Green Deen means to understand that the world exists in a perfectly divine balance. God asserts His balance in the Qu’ran: “He has created man: He has taught him speech and intelligence. The sun and the moon follow courses (exactly) computed. And the herbs and the trees- both (alike) bow in adoration. And the Firmament has He raised high, and He has set up the Balance of (Justice). In order that you may not transgress (due) balance. So establish weight with justice and fall not short in the balance. It is He who has spread out the earth for (His) creatures.” (55:3-10) Pollution, consumption, exploitation all destroy this balance. Restoration of the balance is restoring justice to the planet.